Need some help on Naish's Hokua 9'6 and Mana 9'5

[JohnnyMaya]

Hi everybody,

I need your help and your experience with some boards on Naish´s 2010 alignment:

I am 6'4" and 240 pounds and I am thinking of buying a Naish SUB.
I have a bad 12 SUB which is 27" wide and I am a keen surfer/longboarder.

I like my longboards thin (for my weight) as the thickest 9'1" I have is 22 14" wide and 2 1/2 thick.
In my shortboards I love surfing with some fishy boards, as I have several sub-6-feet fishes.
So small is not an issue to me.

The help I need from you is on the following:

Being used to my 12 footer on 27" wide, sometimes I find it a little tippy (it is a singlefin) on the windier days. The other day (a very windy one for the matter) i tryed a Naish Mana 10' and although it is 2 ft shorter than mine I found it much more stable and easier to paddle than mine. I actually managed to catch some waves on that board.

I Have also tryed the Nah Skwell 9'6" and I had kind of an hard time getting used to it, but since it floated ok, I assume that it would be only a matter of TOW (time in water).

That takes me straight to the Mana 9'5". It floats a lot and I've already read here that some other really big guys who are using it. Although it may be harder than the 10ft Mana I think I should be able to master it (at least balance wise) after a couple of sessions. I have already surfed on a C4 Sub Vector 9'3" and it floated me with no problem.

That takes me to my last doubt. The Naish Hokua 9'6".
Is there someone here at 240 pounds who has tryed it successfully? How was it?
I really like the outline as I am more of a progressive surfer than a classic surfer, at least on my longboards. Living by Supertubos beach I would love a board that's good to get barreled, and honestly I can't see that happening on Mana.

Please give me your feedback as I really like the Hokua´s outline, and I am a very persistent surfer. I am pretty sure that if the board floats me well enough, sooner or later I'll be rippin' on it.

I think I can have the chance to test drive both boards, but I am looking for some imput from more experienced riders before I do it.

Thanks in advance,
Johnny

[Dwight (DW)]

Just last weekend I was surfing with a friend I had not seen in awhile. He surfs the 9'3 Sub Vector. He's been SUPing about 2 years and has surfed his whole life. But that day he was flopping like a dead fish. He was falling so often, he'd have to sit in the line-up and rest while waiting for some waves.

I paddled over to him to catch up and find out what's up. He had gained 30 lbs over the Winter. He was now 230 lbs and the Sub Vector had become too unstable for him. Last season he was doing fine on it.

So I offered my 9'5 Mana to him. He was surprised at how much more stable it was. He said it was a completely different board. Completely different in a good way, because he put his board up for sale on Craig's List 2 hours later and ordered the 9'5 Mana.

I have not surfed the 9'6 Hokua, but I believe it's an older shape with Vee running all the way up to where you stand when paddling. For that reason alone, I would not mess with it. My experience surfing boards with Vee that far forward, is it creates instability that never goes away completely. For lighter riders on the same board, Vee seems to have no ill affect. So if you're at a weight pushing the limits for a particular board size, avoid vee in the middle. Same goes for Jimmy Lewis boards.

[tautologies]

Hey, I was 215 when I got the Hokua...it floated me easily I'm down to 195 now, and a friend of mine at I think at exactly 240 took it for a paddle...he did not go out in waves, but could paddle it. I he said he could see riding it....but I don't know exactly how easiy it would be.

Riding the board...it is my favorite allround board. So versatile. It'll take on almost any size wave (disclaimer..only had it out in about 12ft face).

It is more tippy than the mana series..something that becomes more prevalent in high winds...but so so so much fun when you are on the wave.

I am actually considering the 9'5''  mana..my wife wants a board she can take in the car..and I think it might be a good board for smaller surf...the board fit inside my car which makes a huge difference in terms of setup and simplicity..and I think my wife would like to paddle and can handle it. Decision coming up shortly on that...I have never ridden it...but I have yet to find a a shape from Iggy that doesn't work and that isn't really thought through. If you try the 9'5'' mana please let me know what you think...

Take the nose of the hokua...I compare this to another really really nice shape of a brand I will not mention. The other board had a very skinny nose with an aggressive rocker..this might be an advantage on very very steep waves. The hokua has a more what I would maybe call a balanced nose...more surface area, not as much rocker, and not as skinny. The straighter nose punches through whitewater very well, and it does not show any tendency to pearl on waves...on the other board if I moved forward to make it over the nose would sink in, on the hokua I can even (almost..almost because I am still trying) nose ride....I think the higher volume in the nose really makes the board a little more versatile without degrading the performance even in bigger surf. Of course..take this with a pinch of salt..I love the board and my perception is skewed like that...now boards in that class are measured by the hokua yardstick. :-)

[lopezwill]

  I got a chance to ride the 9'5" Mana today in waist to shoulder surf.  I'm 6'4" 220.  That board is way more stable than the 9'3" SV.  The Mana surfs good and nose rides great.  The minute I got on it, it felt like a very comfortable fit.  I can't believe the stability of that board!  I think you would rip on it!  You could do everything you do on your lay down longboard and more on the Mana.  I haven't tried the 9'6" Corban but looks like it might be a good fit for bigger guys.

  You need two boards.  When the surf is big and hollow I think you would be frustrated with the Mana.  Good luck finding a "gun type" board for hollow surf weighing 240.  I've been through a dozen boards looking for a gun type sup for bigger hollow days.  You sound pretty skilled and energetic...maybe the new Paddle Surf Hawaii gun rippers over ten feet would work for you.  Best if you can try the board out on a big day before purchase.  The Starboard 10' gun is a good big wave board and not talked about often.  My friend weighs 150 and rips on the Starboard gun in double overhead waves.

Good luck in your search.  Come back and report about your new board.  Us heavy weights need all the information we can get for our next purchase.

[tautologies]

Lopez: have you checked out the 11'6 hokua? Should easily hold you..

[snappy]

Have a look at the C4 9'6 Subvector.It has to be one of the most stable surfable boards in it's class.
I now find it better than my Jimmy Lewis 10 and with the quad fin set up you will not find a better surfboard.Todd Bradley knows his stuff,have a read of the article in the latest surfing world.

[Roundhouse]

I just got in from a morning flatwater paddle on my new 9'5" Mana. I normally take out my 11'6" Naish Battleship in flat water but it was so smooth this morning and I was only going 3 or 4 miles. I was really impressed with its stability. I have a 9'6 C4 Sub Vector. Great for surfing but a workout staying upright in the lineup.  Especially in the chop. Useless in flat water.

I'm 185 and should be 170 but I am also very old, have been surfing a long, long time but have a day job. I think the Mana is going to work out great. If I could find a trade, I would give up my C4 for a 10' Naish. I like the thin raills but less than 29" seems a bit too narrow.

Good Luck

[SUP Sports ®]

Here's some comparison pics between Naish 9'5" Mana and 9'6" Nalu...

http://surfingsports.com/naish_bamboo_sups/index.html

Naish 9'6"  Hokua...

http://surfingsports.com/naish_96_quad/index.html

There is a significant volume difference between the 9'5" Mana and the two 9'6" Naish boards above both rated at 135 liters...although, I think Naish needs to recalibrate their volume calcs...;-)

Regardless, at 240 lbs you are gonna struggle on the Hokua 9'6" in all but clean and glassy conditions...it is a fast board capable of going vertical
especially if you reduce fin size...

The 9'5" Mana surfs like a funboard...it surfs best back off the tail...

Anyone considering the 9'5" Mana should also take a look at the Jimmy Lewis 9'5" Striker...

http://surfingsports.com/JIMMY_LEWIS_STRIKER/index.html

Comparison pics between it and the 9'5" Mana can be found at the bottom of this blog post...

http://blog.surfingsports.com/2010/05/jimmy_lewis_striker.html

If a bigger, more progressive surfer, like Johnny was in our shop...we'd also have the 9'6" Coreban Performer out for him to seriously consider as I believe it is more of what he is looking for based on what he has said...

http://surfingsports.com/coreban_sup/coreban_sup29.jpg

http://surfingsports.com/labels/Coreban%20SUP.asp

http://surfingsports.com/coreban_sups/index.html

[JohnnyMaya]

Thanks for all the replys.

I really wanted to know other's opinion, since i'm pretty unexperienced with these boards.
As for the other options, SUP is still pretty recent here in Portugal and there aren't too many brands available.

I think I'll brobably take on the Mana 9'5" and once I lose like 20 pounds or maybe a little more, i'll check he hokua. Maybe by that time i'll be trying the 9'3 as well. You know, I just love challenges!!!

During this time i've been searching I also found two boards that are new and look a lot of fun:
- Nah Skwell 8'8"
- Nah Skwell 9'3"

Check it out:
http://nahskwell.blogspot.com/2010/04/nah-skwell-surf-series.html

Joao

[CaptainPugwash]

I am 178 lbs and feel very comfortable on my 9' 6" Hokua surfing up to overhead waves so far on it ...........For my weight I find it a great combination of  easy paddling (balance wize ) and amazing responsive performance .......definitly a surfers surfboard ...........But I think there would be much more effort and energy expended for a rider of the 240 lbs mentioned here ...........I just had a 5 hr session yesterday at a Pointbreak and came in to refuel ...........one would struggle to do that at 240lbs as one  would get very very tired with all the constant  balance corrections needed all the time............went out again in the arvo for another 3 hr session .........I don't want to be too tired that I can't go out again for another session...........decisions decisions decisions...........some food for thought eh wot ............

[Squiby]

There is a significant volume difference between the 9'5" Mana and the two 9'6" Naish boards above both rated at 135 liters...although, I think Naish needs to recalibrate their volume calcs...;-)

I'm pretty sure that Naish rates both the 9'6 Hokua and Nalu at 135 liters. But the 9'5 Mana has much more volume. The Naish website rates it at 190 liters.

JohnnyMaya, I was able to swap boards on flat water today. Traded my 9'3 SubVector for a friend's brand new Mana 10'. The Naish was incredibly stable for my 175lbs, a veritable floating dock. My Newby friend (experienced surfer, 6'3 and 215lbs) was enjoying his Naish but having a hard time on my SubV. It sounds like you are already more stable than he is but I'd guess that the 9'5 Mana would make the learning curve faster and more fun than the Hokua. It's much easier on the knees to be standing than to be stuck paddling on your knees when it gets onshore and choppy. And then you can share the stoke with friends and let them out on the 9'5 once you graduate to a more challenging board.

[tautologies]

hey so I have ridden the mana now in anything from knee high to 9 ft faces. The waves were not super intense, more the slopey kind..but a lot of fun. The board took me a little by surprise..I am right under 200lb now, and my feet doesn't even get wet. The board is responsive..might not as responsive as the hokua, but much better than I though before taking it out.
First session I rode a ton of small waves and didn't even fall off the board once. Weird.

It is easy to paddle, and easy to turn even when speed has been built up. To be frank I didn't think it would perform as well especially in overhead waves.

Every other squash tail I have tried on a SUP has been sloggish to turn..stable but sloggish...I am figuring now that since they were rentals that they might have been a little waterlogged...I just think they have been heavy and not very agile...might very well be me tho...

The Mana is light, super stable but still turns. Now all my boards except the gun fits in my car...yay. So much easier to go to the beach.

[WG]

Johnny,  Did you get your new board yet?  It is difficult to determine stability factors on SUP boards these days.  Glassy vs Bumpy conditions is a huge factor.

In my opinion, width is one of the primary factors in stability.  Length from 9-0 to 10-5 is much less significant.  Bottom contour or flatness will stabilize a board, but you want it to perform in waves too.

The other super important factor for stability is VOLUME.  I have been measuring volumes of many boards with my volume tank (check the boardworks site for my updated volumes).  The width of the Naish 9-5 Mana at 31" and volume at 190 liters, makes it a very stable board.  The Naish 9-6 Hokua is 29.25" and 135 liters, narrower and less float, so that board is harder to stand on, but will perform better on a good wave.  The C4 Subvector 9-3 is also about 139 liters and 28.81" wide.  Actually the 9-6 Subvector is only 135 liters by 28.75", making it a lower volume board.

Most beginners will want a 2 to 1 ratio of their body weight to volume.  An intermediate can go to 1.7 times their weight and an expert in smooth conditions will enjoy a 1.3 ratio.  If you are 6'4" x 240 lbs  that is 109 liters x about 1.5 would suggest you ride a 163 liter board or a high performance board in glassy conditions at 141 liters.  Just something to consider for you heavier guys..........WG

[JohnnyMaya]

Thanks for that info WG.

Actually after trying the Mana 9'5 in windy choppy conditions, i found that after a few sessions I could be having issues with the lack of performance that a board that wide has to suffer from.

I also tested a Coreban Fusion 9'0 and i noticed it floated me ok but since i'm pretty much unexperienced in such short boards (my previous board was a 12 ft. monster) i found it a bit tippy and I couldn't paddle straight. As I said before, there was a really strong side-onshore wind blowin' and there was this rip comming straight to the line up.

So, I just came out ordering a Coreban Performer 9'6.
It arrived last friday and tested it first time on saturday.
The waves were about 2-3 ft. and the wind was like 15 kts. offshore. In the beginning, I was afraid I had done a mistake, but then just got used to the board and managed to get some waves.

Yesterday was a completly different situation.
My balance on the board has improved ridiculously and I found myself catching almost every waves I wanted to. I SUP surfed for 6 hours straight so now i'm as sored as I can remember.
The wind was like 20 kts side-offshore and the waves were similar to the day before.

After being surfing for a while I went for a little downwind for like 500 yds. When time came to paddle upwind, the things got complicated to say the least. Not that I couldn't paddle or bance myself on the board, but I was already too exhausted from surfing all day long.

As for the board:
I found that at 240 I could get the waves quite easily, and since I'm not used to surfing while holding on to a paddle, I found that sometimes I has thinking to much on the paddle and less on the surfing. I managed to pull some bs round house cutbacks and a few sloppy fs floaters.

Comparing to the Mana 9'5, this board can and will turn. When I tried the Mana, I was having too much trouble setting the rail during the bottom turn, and that has annoyed me. The board and the tail are simply to wide and my technique is bad to say the least, so the board refused to turn decently.

With the Performer having it's wings and a much, much narrower tail, turning is a breeze and the board will go wherever I want to.

Of course, all the things I described before have to be taken in consideration bearing in mind i'm a SUPer kook.
I think I'll get to it pretty fast if I make the sacrifice of not surfing on my longboards or shortboards and just go for it on my SUP.

Thanks for all your help,
Maya

[outcast]

Ok,
  I gotta jump in here because all the boards discussed are on my radar, and I can't seem to find what I'm really looking for:

  Quad set-up, fishy and fast.   8'8"-9'6 ...29"-31...I'm 200#

  Coreban Fusion- Real interesting, but not sure I can get on east coast usa..and would prefer a bit more nose pull-in.

  Naish Mana-  Rumors of a 9'?....tried the 9'5, and super stable, but i want rails to bite hard....and the 9'5 would be too corky

  PSH Wide ripper 9'6"  looks beautiful to me, but stability in chop is what worries me

Part of me wants to go to local shaper, but I do believe that some of the sandwich construction boards are hard to beat strength  wise

  The RRD wassup is a tickler, i think the starboard pocket rocket would be great if just a little bigger for me.  Always thought Aipa stingers would make great sup, again just not right sized for me.

  Any input appreciated....I got the itch to spend a little....half of me wants to shape it myself, but 3 little kids.... etc